Coin dividing mechanism for coin operated machines



COIN DIVIDING MECHANISM FOR COIN OPERATED MACHINES Filed April 27, 1940 2-.

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Patented Oct. 13, 1942 COIN DIVIDING MECHANISM FOR COIN OPERATED MACHINES Emil C. Mueller, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The John Gabel Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application April 27, 1940, Serial No. 331,936

7 Claims.

- This invention relates to coin dividing mechanism for coin operated machines and more specifically to mechanism which will direct a certain percentage of the coins inserted in the coin operated mechanism into one receptacle to which the owner of the machine alone has access and another percentage of the coins to another receptacle to which the location proprietor has access.

In the coin operated machine business, it is common practice that the owner of a store or other establishment permits the owner of a coin operated vending machine, musical instrument or the like to place his instrument in the store under an agreement whereby the store owner will receive a percentage of the money deposited in the machine by his customers. At stated intervals the owner of the machine or his representative together with the owner of the store or his representative open the machine, remove the coin receptacle and apportion the receipts in accordance with their agreement. This arrangement requires the presence of both parties and often results in much inconvenience in respect of the time at which the machine should be opened for the purpose mentioned. In some instances the location owner is insistent upon having access to the coin receptacle at all times so that he may remove and have available for change purposes his share of the coins deposited in the machine. Obviously, such sole access to the machine is objectionable.

The main object of the present invention is to provide mechanism for automatically apportioning the coins deposited in the machine to the machine owner and to the location owner in accordance with their agreement so that the coins to which each party is entitled may be made available in separate receptacles to the respective parties without giving to each party access to the other partys share of the coins.

Other objects of the invention are to provide mechanism of the character indicated which will be simple, durable and eificient in operation and which will accurately divide the coins received by the machine according to the agreed upon percentages; to provide mechanism of the char-' acter indicated which may be easily adjusted to various division percentages; and in general it is the object of the invention to provide improved mechanism of the stated character.

Other objects and advantages will be understood :by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawing wherein there is illussides of the coin chute 6.

trated a coin dividing mechanism embodying a selected form of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation, a covering plate having been omitted so as to more clearly illustrate the structure;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. l but illustrating a changed position; and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, the mechanism therein illustrated comprises a suitable plate 5, usually made of metal and so formed as to provide a coin chute 6 therein. The upper end of the coin chute indicated at 1 is formed in any suitable manner to permit insertion of the coins which fall by gravity down the chute 6 as best shown in Figure 1.

The coins falling through the chute 6 may be caused to operate whatever device the present mechanism is associated with by providing an arm 8 with an end portion 9 located in the path of travel of the coin, so as to be engaged thereby and moved downwardly to such extent as may be required for operation of the device. The coin continues its downward movement in the coin chute and is thereafter directed to selected paths of continued travel into one of two predetermined coin receptacles.

The coin directing mechanism as herein shown comprises a wheel or drum Ill axially rotatably mounted as indicated at H on a bracket I2 formed integral with the member 5 which, as already indicated, may be a cast metal member. The wheel I0 is provided with a series 0f circumferentially spaced pairs of tapped holes, each pair comprising a hole i3 and a hole I4, said holes being respectively located adjacent the opposite Pins such as indicated at [5 are adapted to be interchangeably mounted in the holes l3 and I4, the pins being suitably threaded at their lower ends for interengagement with the tapped holes l3 and I4.

The wheel I0 is so located relative to the coin chute 6 that the pins l5 carried thereby project into the path of travel of the coins in the coin chute, the casting 5 being suitably slotted as indicated at IE to provide a passageway for said pins l5.

One side edge 11 of th wheel is preferably so formed as to provide notches E8 in predetermined relation to the pins 55. The notches l8 are adapted to receive a laterally extending ear [9 of a latch member 29 which is pivoted adjacent its upper end on the casting 5 as indicated at 2|. A suitable spring 22 stretched between a part of the latch 20 and a part of the casting 5 serves to normally urge the latch 20 to move toward the notched side or edge of the wheel Ill so as to cause said ear Hi to enter the adjacent notch H3. The wheel I is thereby normally locked against rotation.

The latch 20 is provided with a finger 2011. which extends through the slot 16 in the casting so as to also be located Within the path of travel of the coins and so as to be adapted to be engaged by the coins to be thereby moved outwardly against the tension of the spring 22.

A coin such as indicated at C, when descending in the coin chute 6, engages the finger 20a of the latch and thereby rocksit outwardly so as to disengage the latch part 19 from the notch l8 of the wheel l0 and immediately thereafter the coin comes into engagement with the pins which project radially from the wheel Ill. The wheel being then free to rotate is moved by engagement of the coin with-the pin [5, the coin and wheel moving together until the coin reaches a lowered position in which it may fall to one side of the pins l5 into either the passageway 23 or the passageway 24 of the coin chute casting to be thereby directed to a receptacle associated with the particular passageway.

It will be observed by inspection of Figures 1 and 3 that the latch finger a is so related to the location of the wheel-carried pins I5 that the coin Will simultaneously engage both said latch finger and one of said pins, so as to maintain the latch out of locking engagement with the wheel until such time as the wheel has turned ,a sufiicient distance to prevent the latch from re-engaging the notch from which it was disengaged by the coin. It will be further observed .that the coin, when resting on a pin [5 in one of the holes 13, will gravitate toward the side 25 of the coin chute and will fall into the passageway 24 as soon as the lower end 26 of the main coin chute 6 is cleared. In the same manner, a coin resting on a pin l5 projecting from one of the-openings it will gravitate toward the side edge 21 of the main coin chute and will fall into the passageway 23 as soon as the lower end portion 28 of said main coin chute is cleared.

In the illustrated construction, the wheel I0 is provided with ten pairs of tapped holes l3 and M. This arrangement is particularly adapted to divide the coins in such percentages as .50-50, 40-60, 30-70, 20-80 and 10-90. If one party is to receive thirty per cent of the coins deposited in the coin chute 6, three pins l5 will be seated in three of the holes l3 or I4 and seven pins will be seated in the seven holes in the opposite side of the wheel and in holes of pairs not "including the first mentioned three pins. By this arrangement three of each ten coins would be directed to one side and seven of the ten to the other side.

Other percentage arrangements may be made by suitably modifying the wheel I0 and the number of pins carried thereby. In the arrangement illustrated, the pins are deposited alternately on opposite sides of the wheel so as to divide the coins one-half to each of the passageways 23 and 24. The passageways 23 and 24 may be directed to suitably located receptacles which may be mounted in separate compartments and so looked that either party may have access to only one coin receptacle. A covering plate 29 (Figure 4) may be provided on one side of the casting 5 to form one side of the coin chute 6 as is iii) well understood by those skilled in the art. Such cover plate may be removably mounted and it is omitted from the illustration in Figures 1 and 3 so as to more clearly show the details of the mechanism.

Various changes in the described construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which should be determined by reference to the following claims, the same being construed as broadly as possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a coin chute, and an element mounted for rotation adjacent the delivery end of said chute and having a plurality of circumferentially spaced members projecting into said chute, some of said members bein disposed adjacent one side of said chute and other of said members being disposed adjacent the other side of said chute, said element being adapted to be rotated by the engagement of the coins passing through said chute with said members so as to move said members into said chute, and said members being respectively operative to cam such coins toward the remote side of the chute.

2. In a device of the class described, a coin chute, and an element mounted for rotation adjacent the delivery end of said chute and on an axis which extends parallel to th normal plane of said coin chute, said member having a plurality of circumferentially spaced, radially extending members projecting into said chute, some of said members being disposed adjacent one side of said chute andother of said members being .disposed adjacent the other side of said chute, said element being adapted to be rotated by the engagement of coins passing through said chute with said members so as to move said members into said chute, and said members bein respectively operative to cam such coins toward the remote side of the chute.

3. In a device of the class described, a coin chute, an element mounted for rotation adjacent the delivery end of said chute and having a plurality of circumferentially spaced members projecting into said chute, some of said members being disposed adjacent one side of said chute and other of said members being disposed adjacent; the other side of said chute, and means for mounting said members on said element to permit selective positioning thereof adjacent either side of said chute, said element being adapted to be rotated by the engagement of coins passing through said chute with said members so as to move said members into said chute, and said members being respectively operative to cam such coins toward the remote side of the chute.

4. In a device of the class described, -a coin chute, an element mounted for rotation adjacent the delivery end of said chute and on an axis which extends parallel to the normal plane of said coin chute, said member having a plurality of circumferentially spaced, radially extending members projecting into said chute, some of said members .being disposed adjacent one side of said chute and other of said members being disposed adjacent the other sidelof said chute, and means for mounting said members on said element to permit selective positioning thereof adjacent either side of said chute, said element being adapted to be rotated by the engagement of coins passing through said chute with said members so as to move said members into said chute, and said members being respectively operative to cam such coins toward the remote side of the chute.

5. In a device of the class described, a coin chute, an element mounted for rotation adjacent the delivery end of said chute and having a plurality of circumferentially spaced members projecting into said chute, some of said members being disposed adjacent one side of said chute and other of said members being disposed adjacent the other side of said chute, said element being adapted to be rotated by the engagement of coins passing through said chute with said members so as to move said members into said chute, said members being respectively operative to cam such coins toward the remote side of the chute, means for locking said element against rotation and means engageable by a coin while also in engagement with one of said members for disengaging said locking element so as to permit such coin to effect movement of said element.

of means adapted to be engaged by successive coins passed through said chute for efiecting rotation of said member, some of said coin engagin means being adapted to direct the engaging coins to one path of travel from said rotatable member and other of said coin-engaging means being adapted to direct the engaging coins in another path of travel from said rotatable member.

7. In a device of the class described, a coin chute, and a, rotatably mounted member associated with said coin chute and having a plurality of means adapted to be engaged by successive coins passed through said chute for efiecting rotation of said member, some of said coin engaging means being adapted to direct the engaging coins to one path of travel from said rotatable member, and coin released means for locking said member against rotary movement and operative to permit only predetermined limited movement 6. In a device of the class described, a coin 20 of said member by each coin.

chute, and a rotatably mounted member associated with said coin chute and having a plurality EMIL C. MUELLER. 

